How do you set up a Google Business Profile for a restaurant or café?

Your Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is what guests see about your place on Google Search and Maps. The menu names below come from Google's help pages. Google renames them now and then, and some depend on your country and category. If yours says something slightly different, choose the closest option.

What do you need before you start?

• A Google Account that belongs to the business, not to one temp.
• Your name exactly as it appears on the sign.
• A fixed address with signage. P.O. boxes and virtual offices aren't allowed.
• Your phone number, opening hours and current menu as a photo or PDF.
• A few sharp photos: outside, inside, food, plus your logo.

How do you add or claim the profile?

Look for your place in Google Maps first, because a profile often exists already. Google says adding or claiming a profile is free. This table shows which route fits:

How do you verify your business?

Verification shows Google that you really run the place, and you start it with Get verified. Google decides which methods you see, and you can't change that.

Google says reviews usually take up to 5 business days. If a live video call is on offer, Google recommends it.

Which fields come first?

Fill in the name, category, address, phone and website first, because everything else depends on them. The path is always the same: go to business.google.com, select Edit profile, make changes, then Save. In the Maps app, tap Business at the bottom right, then Edit profile. Google reviews changes before they go live.

A category completes "this business IS a", not "this business HAS a". You can add up to 9 more, but only if they're true. Changing a category can trigger verification again, so leave it alone while a postcard is on its way. No website of your own? Our article on whether a café needs a website gives an honest answer.

How do you change opening hours on Google?

You change opening hours under Edit profile, then Hours. The steps:

1. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
2. Next to Hours, select the edit icon, then Open with main hours.
3. Tick the days you're open and set the times.
4. For a lunch break, add two entries for the same day, one before and one after.
5. Select Save.

For restaurants, use dine-in hours first, not delivery hours.

For holidays and one-off days, the path is: Edit profile, Hours, then the edit icon next to Special hours. Pick a suggested date with Review or choose Add a date, enter the times or tick Closed, then Save. Google recommends confirming official holidays even when your hours are normal, so guests know they're right.

Google says temporarily closed places can rank below open ones for broad searches. So switch your hours back on the day you reopen.

How do you add your menu to Google?

You add the menu through the menu editor or as a link, and you can do both.

1. Select Edit menu.
2. For dishes, use Add menu section and Add menu item.
3. For a photo or PDF, select Photos of menu at the top, then Select photos or a PDF.
4. For your own online menu: Edit profile, Business information, Contact, Menu link, enter the address, Save.
5. In Edit menu, the Full menu tab lets you set your preferred source.

Google says changes can take 24 to 48 hours. Generate a menu, which reads a photo or PDF, is marked experimental, so check the result line by line, especially prices. A link of your own has one advantage: you keep the menu in one place. Look for two things: the address behind the link never changes, and you can update the menu behind it from your phone without uploading a new file each time.

How do you add reservations, photos and details?

The remaining items are quick and often forgotten:

• Reservations: Select Booking, Add link, enter the address, Save. Orders go through Food ordering. Our article on online table reservations covers what suits you.
• Photos: Search for your place on Google or Maps, select Photos, then Add photos, Add a logo or Add a cover photo. JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB. 720 × 720 pixels is recommended, 250 × 250 the minimum. They only go live after verification, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
• Attributes: Edit profile, More, then Edit next to the group, then Yes or No, for example on Wi-Fi or Cash-only. Names can differ by country and category.
• Team: More, Business Profile settings, People and access, Add, enter the email, choose Owner or Manager, Invite. Don't give temps owner access.
• Posts: Posts, Add post, then Update, Offer or Event, and finally Post.

Which mistakes cost restaurants the most?

How can you tell if the profile is doing anything?

Under Performance you can see how guests use your profile. Pick a period, then Apply. It shows search terms, views, direction requests, calls, website clicks and menu clicks. Search terms update at the start of each month. Performance data is only available for verified profiles.

Our article on getting found on Google and ChatGPT explains what this means for visibility. Getting more Google reviews covers the next lever.

How do you keep your menu and links in one place instead of five?

This is how it works with NFCeez: in the app you add your business with its name and address, then your logo, cover photo, opening hours, links and the link to your Google review. You take photos of your menu or upload a PDF, the AI turns it into a digital menu, and you check it before you publish. All of it sits on your Smart Page at nfceez.de, followed by your business name.

You enter that address in Google under Menu link. When a price changes, you update it in the app and the next guest sees it, without uploading a new PDF to Google. The app also shows you how many visits came from Google.

The limit: NFCeez doesn't change your Google profile. You still update hours, holidays and photos on Google yourself, ideally on the same monthly date. The Smart Page overview shows what guests see.

What's your next step today?

Look up your place in Google Maps right now, check whether a profile exists and start verification. Then add a recurring date: on the first of each month, check hours, holidays and your menu. It takes five minutes and saves a guest from a locked door.